Fame | Reelviews Movie Reviews (2024)

Fame was released at the dawn of the 1980s – a highschool/coming-of-age film arriving in the forefront of a genre that explodedduring the decade. This was a pre-John Hughes movie and, as such, is barelyrecognizable as what the “teen movie” was to become. Although it featurestropes that would become commonplace, it is arguably more interesting becauseof the differences. They fly-on-the-wall perspective, most evident in the firstchapter (“Auditions”), makes for fascinating viewing, with the editing snappilymoving us from character-to-character, introducing each with remarkableeconomy. Alas, there are ultimately too many of those characters and Fame’sinability to flesh-out them out undermines its overall effectiveness. Itremains an entertaining time-capsule excursion but greatness eludes the bestefforts of director Alan Parker.

Fame is easily confused with the TV series that was spunoff from the film and ultimately became more popular. There was also an ill-advised remake in 2009 (the less said about that, the better). The namemost closely associated with the Fame franchise is Debbie Allen.However, although she’s in the movie, her part is minimal. She wasfront-and-center for the TV series, however (and also appeared in the remake).The production is an ensemble piece but if one was to single out one performeras having the biggest impact, it would be Irene Cara, who sings the title songand provides a heart-wrenching rendition of “Out Here on My Own” (which wouldgo on to become a Top 20 hit).

The movie is divided into five chapters: “Audition,”“Freshman Year,” “Sophom*ore Year,” “Junior Year,” and “Senior Year.” Attemptingto tell the stories of eight teenagers at New York City’s High School ofPerforming Arts seems like a daunting task and the screenplay, credited toChristopher Gore, isn’t always up to the task. The roster of highlightedstudents includes Coco Hernandez (Irene Cara), a singer/dancer/actress whobefriends musician Bruno Martelli (Lee Curreri); Doris Finsecker (Maureen Teefy),a shy Jewish singer with a Type-A mother; boorish would-be comedian Ralph Garci(Barry Miller), who idolizes Freddie Prinze and becomes interested in Doris;Montgomery MacNeil (Paul McCrane), an introverted gay man who is befriended byDoris and Ralph; Leroy Johnson (Gene Anthony Ray), a talented dancer with contemptfor authority and a runaway temper; and Lisa Monroe (Laura Dean), who isconstantly accused of being lazy.

Some of the characters are better defined than others, withthe trio of Doris, Ralph, and Montgomery being the closest to three-dimensionaleven though their primary conflicts are ridded with cliches. Doris and Ralph’sdate at a screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show is a highlight. Dueto Irene Cara’s charisma, Coco stands out, but her arc is weak until the finalact. One key scene featuring an encounter between her and an “amateur director”is startling in its illustration of how a mixture of naivete and desperationcan put a young acting wannabe in an untenable position.

Tonally, Fame is a study in vacillation. Althoughprincipally dramatic in nature, there are times when it veers into teen comedyterritory. (Fame’s peep-hole scene predated one in Porky’s by ayear.) Then there are the musical aspects. The most notable is the outdoordance production of “Fame,” a before-its-time flash mob performance in themiddle of a New York City street. Enjoyable as it may be, it’s a bizarresequence, primarily because it seems to belong in another film. The excuse forshoehorning into the movie makes little sense.

Sir Alan Parker’s involvement as director is indicative of ahigher degree of sophistication than what one normally associates with the genre. Parker, whose ‘80s movies included Shoot the Moon, Birdy, Angel Heart, andMississippi Burning, wasn’t interested in making a vapid teen movie. Hisinfluence is most keenly felt early in the proceedings as the story flowsseamlessly from character-to-character. One of the great strengths of Fameis its ability to draw the viewer in. The editing is excellent, imparting anenergetic pacing to the proceedings. The viewer feels like they’re in the midstof organized chaos.

As with many older movies, this one works today in partbecause of how it reveals aspects of American culture during the time at whichit was produced. Although Fame was released in 1980, it’s a product of ‘70scinema and reflective of attitudes of the time. This can be seen in thecharacter of Montgomery, a gay man struggling to come to grips with hissexuality. Cliched dramatic stories aside, the movie has a gritty charm andoverall likeability that makes it worth revisiting for an understanding of howboth the genre and society’s perceptions have evolved over the nearlyhalf-century since the movie’s germination.

Fame (United States, 1980)